On January 26, Republic Day, the farmers’ tractor rally in Delhi went out of the control and resulted in a big chaos. While the farmers are still fighting against the Centre, the issue has reached globally and drawn the attention of celebrities across the world

Thousands of farmers in India, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at several Delhi border points since November 2020, seeking repeal of the three farm laws and legal guarantee of minimum support price for their crops.

International Pop star Rihanna has been hogging all the limelight ever since she extended her support in support of the farmers’ protest in India. The 32-year-old singer trended on social media after she posted a tweet and asked why people were not talking about the ongoing agitation against the farm laws. The pop singer was praised by a section of social media users for speaking up on the farmer issue.

Rihanna’s tweet on Farmer Protests ‘rattled’ the entire nation including the Government to the extent that the Ministry Of External Affairs had to issue a statement asking international celebrities to refrain from making comments without knowing the issue. Soon enough many Bollywood celebrities called for a unified India by sharing the statement that labelled its propaganda.

While some celebrities extended support to Rihanna, others asked her not to intervene in India’s internal matters. In fact, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, on Wednesday, reacted sharply to comments by foreign celebrities and others, saying a proper understanding of the matter is required before rushing to comment on the protests. “The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” said the MEA in a statement.

Following her tweet, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris, Lebanese-American former adult star Mia Khalifa, Canadian YouTuber Lily Singh and many other tweeted in support to the farmers.

Indian pacer and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) star bowler, Sandeep Sharma, has penned a hard-hitting note after pop sensation Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg fuelled controversy by extending their support to the farmers’ protest in India. Talking about Rihanna’s appeal to the world to be vocal about the farmers’ agitation in India, Sandeep wrote that many people including the Indian External Affairs Ministry have unfairly criticised the famous singer for supporting the Indian farmers by saying the conflict is an ‘internal affair’. “But by that logic, no one outside Germany should have criticized the persecution of the Jews in Germany during the Nazi era,” he added.

By Karishma Gwalani